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How Is Jack Presented In Lord Of The Flies

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The image of choir boys makes many think of a group of young innocent boys, but as William Golding, in the Lord of the Flies, shows even the most angelic people can mentally change. Golding chose to make Jack and some of the other children choir boys to show that when people face fear and a lack of moral guidance even young “angelic” people will fall into a life of evil and savagery. Lord of the Flies presents the idea that innocence is lost not when you turn a certain age, but rather when you question authority and civilization. In an ironic twist it is Jack, one of the choir boys, who actually becomes a violent dictator. At the beginning of the book all of the boys took a vote to see who should be chief and Ralph won; but he knew that …show more content…

“He’s like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn't a proper chief.” (126). Jack is power hungry and becomes more and more obsessed with hunting. At the end of chapter one Jack was not able to kill a pig and actually thinks of the blood as “unbearable”, but later in the book he actually “giggled” at the sight of blood on his hands and did not hesitate to kill. “Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands. The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her…At last the immediacy of the kill subsided. The boys drew back, and Jack stood up, holding out his hands.“Look.”(135). Jack has not only killed a pig, but he looks upon the action as a pleasurable experience. Jack, the former choir boy, becomes more and more savage and is able to jump from killing a pig to actually killing a fellow choirboy. Indeed, under Jack's leadership, the boys become inhuman and like animals as they violently attack and kill Simon. “There were no words, and no movement but the tearing of teeth and claws.”(153). Golding uses this irony of choir boys who used to sing to God who now have no words at

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